Current genosensor methods involve radioactive, fluorescence, or chemiluminescence techniques that are slow, relatively insensitive, and expensive compared to advanced microsensor methods. For rapid molecular diagnostics, novel dynamic sensors are needed that combine the speed, high sensitivity, and high specificity of DNA hybridization with the speed and ultrasensitivity of microelectronic transducers. In collaboration with the Molecular Diagnostics Core Laboratory of the University of New Mexico, TPL, Inc. will develop an innovative sensor based on microfabricated porous transducers containing short, immobilized oligonucleotides for direct quantitation of specific sequences (point mutations). The reusable sensor will incorporate flexural plate-wave (FPW) devices that have demonstrated extreme sensitivity to mass changes (pg/cnf), which theoretically allows detection of femtomole quantities. TPL, Inc. will design, fabricate and test FPW-based sensors, utilizing innovative microstructured materials, to determine their sensitivity and specificity for hybridized target DNA. TPL has extensive experience in the design and characterization of acoustic wave microsensors. Much of the electronics needed for FPW devices have been developed and integrated into commercial products, such as TPL's Thin Film Analyzer. By combining TPL's expertise in advanced sensors with MDCL/UNM's experience in molecular diagnostics, this program will develop a new generation of genosensor for clinical analysis. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: A new ultrasensitive, highly specific genosensor which provides substantially improved detection speed would find broad use in the medical diagnostics, forensic science, and pharmaceutical industries. Furthermore, such a system would establish a technology basis for extension of FPW-sensors to DNA sequencing for basic and applied research applications, such as the Human Genome Project.